It’s a fool’s exercise, listing the Chicago theaters that have come and gone over the past quarter century. I tried but gave up when I hit 24 at 17 years in. From Angel Island to Zebra Crossing, it’s a list that speaks to the ephemeral nature of both the art form and the waves of artists that come and go in a brutal business. 

Then there’s Northlight Theatre, launched in 1974 by Northwestern grad student Gregory Kandel, whose final thesis—as Northlight’s artistic director B.J. Jones remembers it—essentially required him to create an Equity theater from scratch. 

Actor Mike Nussbaum (please take a moment to google if you do not know this name) served as artistic director in the early days of the then-named Evanston Theatre, which found a home at Evanston’s Coronet movie theater. 

But the Coronet was razed years ago, and for the past 25 years, Northlight Theatre (recollections vary as to when the name changed) has been a tenant in Skokie’s North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. Its next 25 years are hinged on its pending move back to downtown Evanston. 

After five years in the works, plans seem to be falling together. This summer saw the demolition of a long-vacant Thai restaurant on the 87,500-square-foot parcel at 1012-16 Church Street where Jones plans to build the new Northlight, a three-story building slated to start construction in October 2023. 

But new construction is hardly the only building driving Northlight’s Evanston-based endeavors. The theater’s teaching artists and educators have spent years building connections with Evanston, tending the theater’s local roots even as its brick-and-mortar presence remained out of town. 

“We don’t have a conservatory. We don’t teach acting to professionals. Our programming is about helping people use theater in everyday life,” says Christina Lepri-Stringer, Northlight’s director of education and community engagement. 

By the theater’s count, outreach efforts engaged some 4,000 people in 2021, including hundreds of students from Evanston’s public schools through programs ranging from playmaking workshops in elementary school classrooms to creative writing classes for grandparents. 

“If you’re not engaging with your community as a theater, you’re a tourist attraction. And those are great, but that’s not who we are,” says Jones, an Evanston resident of over 30 years who took on the artistic director’s position in 1998, just as the theater moved to Skokie. “Theater as civic engagement. It’s a concept that goes back to the Greeks.” 

Meeting the ideals of ancient Greece will be easier when your theater is within a block of the el and the Metra stations, something Northlight has lacked since it moved to Skokie. From the Loop, you’d need at least an hour and a transfer to get close enough to the North Shore Center to walk the final blocks, which include a heavily trafficked intersection that has proven extremely hazardous for pedestrians in the past.

“We’re looking at a time when the next generation doesn’t have, doesn’t want, cars. So moving right next to the el is a big, big deal in making theater more accessible to more people,” says Jones. 

He’s also keen to run his own box office and autonomously schedule the season’s programming. Northlight is the Center’s official resident company, but its schedule must accommodate other North Shore Center tenants who use the same space the theater does. 

But frustrations with scheduling and box office transit haven’t dimmed Northlight’s attempts to engage. The company is now in its fourth year working with the Evanston Scholars program, wherein Evanston Township High School juniors apply to join a multiyear program aimed at helping them navigate the process of applying to college, then college itself, and ultimately the transition to the working world. 

Northlight’s teaching artists have been crucial toward helping students succeed in college and beyond, says program director Demisha Lee. 

“Folks might wonder how a theater artist can help with the college process. They can help with everything—how to use your voice in an admission interview. How to meet new people, how to deal with roommates,” Lee says. 

“I’ve seen students on the quieter side realize they could speak up, talk loudly, even talk to a stranger, and get through it. We’re about to launch these students into a whole new world, and the teaching artists make a space where they prepare for that in a way,” Lee adds. 

It’s a two-way street, says Lepri-Stringer, who began her career with Evanston’s Mudlark Theater. Some of her work at Northlight involved the Grandmothers Raising Grandchildren group, which is offered through the Levy Senior Center in Evanston. 

“When I taught that class—no, taught isn’t the right word. When I facilitated that class I remember being intimidated walking in, wondering what I could possibly teach people who had so much more life experience than me,” Lepri-Stringer says.

“I was humbled by the life stories these individuals were willing to share. And it wasn’t about crafting a perfect scene or plot. It was more about opening a room where they could write and thankfully present feedback to each other.”

Northlight artistic director B.J. Jones (left) and executive director Timothy Evans. Courtesy Northlight Theatre

On Church Street, Jones and Northlight executive director Timothy Evans envision a home where classroom space is available for seniors and students alike, where concerts and TED talks light up dark nights, and meeting rooms turn the place into a community hub. 

The theater will reportedly generate an eye-popping $56 million within five years of completion, according to a financial study done by Hunden Strategic Partners. That figure includes everything from a year’s worth of construction work to an uptick in nearby dining, Evans says. The city stands to benefit as well, to the tune of some $644,000 in increased local tax revenues, according to the Hunden study. 

Northlight has raised roughly half of the $25 million capital campaign it needs to complete construction, but the theater’s opening isn’t projected until 2024. Before the pandemic, community resistance derailed initial plans for a theater inside a 37-story building on Sherman Avenue. Northlight returned in 2019 with plans for the Church Street address.

The building designed by Eckenhoff Saunders includes rehearsal rooms, community rooms, a 300-seat thrust theater, and no condos. (The Barn Steakhouse, an upscale eatery located on an alley that borders the property’s southern edge, remains in place.) Evanston’s city council signed off in April 2019. Everything was on track—until it wasn’t. 

“When the pandemic hit, of course, we put all that on the back burner. The priority became surviving,” Evans says. Now, the focus is expanding back to include building. In April, Evanston awarded Northlight $2 million toward the move from its $43 million in federal pandemic relief money.

Lee has high hopes as well for the future of her young scholars.  

“I see the difference the teaching artists can make. You see the scholars at the beginning of the day and the end, and you can tell something’s been shaken loose. They’re more open. We get a lot of tickets for them too, and that’s wonderful. Having a building right here where they can access that theater—that’s going to make a difference.”

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Comedian, author, and volunteer ambulance driver Chris Gethard may be a fully Boylan-blooded New Jerseyan, but he’s not shy about the extent to which his improv and stand-up DNA has been imprinted by the comedy scene here in Chicago.

“Years ago, I was booked to host a stage at Lollapalooza,” remembers Gethard as we talk, ahead of his back-to-back stand-up and live podcast recording shows next month at The Hideout. “I stopped by The Annoyance to see what was on, and it was The Holy Fuck Comedy Hour. It was Conner O’Malley, John Reynolds, Carmen Christopher, Gary Richardson, Annie Donley,”most of whom went on to contribute to The Chris Gethard Show in one form or another after moving out to New York during the late-night variety show’s formidable run. “That Chicago influence was really heavy on my show. It’s one of my favorite cities to perform in.”

The storyteller and comic gained mainstream visibility with his critically-acclaimed 2016 solo show Career Suicide—a frank, funny, and challenging monologue that laid bare his lifelong relationship with mental health crises—and as a standout talking head in Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott III’s hit 2020 documentary Class Action Park. But for those in the know, Gethard, now 42, has been a prominent fixture of the alt comedy scene and a Pied Piper of punky weirdos for nearly two decades. 

Chris GethardSat 10/8: Beautiful/Anonymous taping 7 PM, stand-up set 9 PM, the Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, 773-227-4433, hideoutchicago.com, $20 ($30 both shows)

Following a multiyear run at New York’s now-defunct Upright Citizens Brigade, The Chris Gethard Show became a rebellious, inventive, sometimes anarchic Wednesday night Manhattan public access television staple (eventually picked up for a multi-platform, multi-season cable hinterlands cult run) that featured call-in segments, musical guests, characters, games, sketches, and the sort of laidback, uninhibited, sometimes unhinged conversation that felt like an early hangout podcast or a midnight improv set. It served as a revolving door of upcoming talent and—just as importantly—a test-range comedy hub that made New York feel smaller and the improv nerd community feel bigger.

“When I look at my work, and I look at the stuff people have responded to the most, if I’m being honest, I’ve spent a lot of my life feeling very alone, very much like I’m living in my own head,” says Gethard, “And I think a lot of the stuff that I’ve done has kind of appealed to other people who feel that same way.” Stuffed with more bodies than could fit in frame in any given shot, TCGS was a full house both literally and in its programming, featuring no fewer than a half dozen gags or threads or inside jokes to cut away to or introduce at any given moment. And, for Gethard, most of them involved pushing himself or others outside their comfort zone.     

“Back in my old public access days, I felt really compelled to, you know, hire a kickboxer to come beat me up on TV. See what the crowd thinks of that. Do stuff that put me in harm’s way, stuff that made people uncomfortable. Definitely, you know, some Andy Kaufman in there. Definitely some David Letterman in there. Like, let’s just shake it up. See how they deal with it.” Even during the show’s earnest, character-breaking 100th episode celebration, the cast delivered teary-eyed heartfelt testimonials to one another under the headphone duress of a Speech Jammer that added a comedic, gently humiliating wrench in the feels.

Now married to longtime collaborator Hallie Bulleit, living in the New Jersey suburbs, and the father of a three-and-a-half-year-old, Gethard’s work has adopted a stripped-down but still raw sense of risk, both in his stand-up and the Beautiful/Anonymous podcast, where unnamed callers have an organic, uninterrupted or edited chat about whatever is on their mind. A woman in Canada plans a wedding. Foster parents discuss the emotional maturity necessary to live in a state of uncertainty. A woman in the midwest prepares to turn herself in to federal prison. A barber talks cowlicks and says hey. Even though the one-on-one form of the podcast is a complete 180 from TCGS’s carousel of madness, the heart of intimacy, authenticity, and risk is the same. 

“Beautiful/Anonymous has been so empowering to me. I think listeners often feel empowered because they get a platform, but I actually feel like it’s kind of released me from some of the more gross, ego-driven sides of comedy. I’m able to let that attention go. So, a lot of that is just because I wound up in this project where it asked me to prioritize listening more than talking. And the long version of that is, it asked me to prioritize other people over myself.” 

Part of the brilliance and bravery of Beautiful/Anonymous, like Gethard’s stand-up, is a willingness to let reality breathe a little, to favor authenticity over airtightness. “What I’ve noticed is a lot of times, when people call up, they have a little bit of an outline that they’ve gone over in their head, right? I think sometimes it’s actually been very cathartic for people to realize, like, ‘Oh, you called up, and you want to tell me about something that caused great trauma in your life, and it didn’t even fill an hour.’ Isn’t that kind of an encouraging thought?” Often, that format translates to the caller vocalizing the most pressing issue of their lives, feeling a bit lighter, and then engaging in a more truly off-the-cuff, in-the-moment conversation.

And if that sounds like it might get a little boring sometimes: yes. And that’s OK.  

“There’s this idea out there [that] it’s a lot braver to be boring onstage than exciting all the time. With those boring moments, it can be pretty intimidating. You can feel the crowd’s restlessness, but, if you can push through them, you might get something pretty great on the other side that’s not going to be dominated by this desperate need to make sure everybody’s doing great all the time. 

“In fact, some of my happiest moments are the moments where I’m most bored, because it means there’s no drama in my life. It means that there’s no worries. It means that my to-do list isn’t running over, and I’m not dropping the ball and stuff. Being boring is actually, oftentimes, a reflection that things are going well. I’ve lived through a lot of excitement. It was my 20s and 30s. Now? Boring feels awesome.”

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Comedian, author, and volunteer ambulance driver Chris Gethard may be a fully Boylan-blooded New Jerseyan, but he’s not shy about the extent to which his improv and stand-up DNA has been imprinted by the comedy scene here in Chicago.

“Years ago, I was booked to host a stage at Lollapalooza,” remembers Gethard as we talk, ahead of his back-to-back stand-up and live podcast recording shows next month at The Hideout. “I stopped by The Annoyance to see what was on, and it was The Holy Fuck Comedy Hour. It was Conner O’Malley, John Reynolds, Carmen Christopher, Gary Richardson, Annie Donley,”most of whom went on to contribute to The Chris Gethard Show in one form or another after moving out to New York during the late-night variety show’s formidable run. “That Chicago influence was really heavy on my show. It’s one of my favorite cities to perform in.”

The storyteller and comic gained mainstream visibility with his critically-acclaimed 2016 solo show Career Suicide—a frank, funny, and challenging monologue that laid bare his lifelong relationship with mental health crises—and as a standout talking head in Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott III’s hit 2020 documentary Class Action Park. But for those in the know, Gethard, now 42, has been a prominent fixture of the alt comedy scene and a Pied Piper of punky weirdos for nearly two decades. 

Chris GethardSat 10/8: Beautiful/Anonymous taping 7 PM, stand-up set 9 PM, the Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, 773-227-4433, hideoutchicago.com, $20 ($30 both shows)

Following a multiyear run at New York’s now-defunct Upright Citizens Brigade, The Chris Gethard Show became a rebellious, inventive, sometimes anarchic Wednesday night Manhattan public access television staple (eventually picked up for a multi-platform, multi-season cable hinterlands cult run) that featured call-in segments, musical guests, characters, games, sketches, and the sort of laidback, uninhibited, sometimes unhinged conversation that felt like an early hangout podcast or a midnight improv set. It served as a revolving door of upcoming talent and—just as importantly—a test-range comedy hub that made New York feel smaller and the improv nerd community feel bigger.

“When I look at my work, and I look at the stuff people have responded to the most, if I’m being honest, I’ve spent a lot of my life feeling very alone, very much like I’m living in my own head,” says Gethard, “And I think a lot of the stuff that I’ve done has kind of appealed to other people who feel that same way.” Stuffed with more bodies than could fit in frame in any given shot, TCGS was a full house both literally and in its programming, featuring no fewer than a half dozen gags or threads or inside jokes to cut away to or introduce at any given moment. And, for Gethard, most of them involved pushing himself or others outside their comfort zone.     

“Back in my old public access days, I felt really compelled to, you know, hire a kickboxer to come beat me up on TV. See what the crowd thinks of that. Do stuff that put me in harm’s way, stuff that made people uncomfortable. Definitely, you know, some Andy Kaufman in there. Definitely some David Letterman in there. Like, let’s just shake it up. See how they deal with it.” Even during the show’s earnest, character-breaking 100th episode celebration, the cast delivered teary-eyed heartfelt testimonials to one another under the headphone duress of a Speech Jammer that added a comedic, gently humiliating wrench in the feels.

Now married to longtime collaborator Hallie Bulleit, living in the New Jersey suburbs, and the father of a three-and-a-half-year-old, Gethard’s work has adopted a stripped-down but still raw sense of risk, both in his stand-up and the Beautiful/Anonymous podcast, where unnamed callers have an organic, uninterrupted or edited chat about whatever is on their mind. A woman in Canada plans a wedding. Foster parents discuss the emotional maturity necessary to live in a state of uncertainty. A woman in the midwest prepares to turn herself in to federal prison. A barber talks cowlicks and says hey. Even though the one-on-one form of the podcast is a complete 180 from TCGS’s carousel of madness, the heart of intimacy, authenticity, and risk is the same. 

“Beautiful/Anonymous has been so empowering to me. I think listeners often feel empowered because they get a platform, but I actually feel like it’s kind of released me from some of the more gross, ego-driven sides of comedy. I’m able to let that attention go. So, a lot of that is just because I wound up in this project where it asked me to prioritize listening more than talking. And the long version of that is, it asked me to prioritize other people over myself.” 

Part of the brilliance and bravery of Beautiful/Anonymous, like Gethard’s stand-up, is a willingness to let reality breathe a little, to favor authenticity over airtightness. “What I’ve noticed is a lot of times, when people call up, they have a little bit of an outline that they’ve gone over in their head, right? I think sometimes it’s actually been very cathartic for people to realize, like, ‘Oh, you called up, and you want to tell me about something that caused great trauma in your life, and it didn’t even fill an hour.’ Isn’t that kind of an encouraging thought?” Often, that format translates to the caller vocalizing the most pressing issue of their lives, feeling a bit lighter, and then engaging in a more truly off-the-cuff, in-the-moment conversation.

And if that sounds like it might get a little boring sometimes: yes. And that’s OK.  

“There’s this idea out there [that] it’s a lot braver to be boring onstage than exciting all the time. With those boring moments, it can be pretty intimidating. You can feel the crowd’s restlessness, but, if you can push through them, you might get something pretty great on the other side that’s not going to be dominated by this desperate need to make sure everybody’s doing great all the time. 

“In fact, some of my happiest moments are the moments where I’m most bored, because it means there’s no drama in my life. It means that there’s no worries. It means that my to-do list isn’t running over, and I’m not dropping the ball and stuff. Being boring is actually, oftentimes, a reflection that things are going well. I’ve lived through a lot of excitement. It was my 20s and 30s. Now? Boring feels awesome.”

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The Chicago Bears pulled out a stunning win over the San Francisco 49ers last weekend. They found a way to win a football game under less-than-ideal conditions. They looked bad in the first half but they came back and earned a huge victory.

Now, the Bears are preparing for a huge game against the Green Bay Packers on primetime television. In the meantime, the Bears can learn a lot from watching Thursday night’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers.

This is a marquee matchup in the NFL right now as you get two very good teams led by two very good quarterbacks that know how to make some explosive plays.

Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert are very good players that can impact a game as much as any player in the entire league. At this point, they are both top-five quarterbacks.

The Chicago Bears can learn a lot from the Thursday Night Football game.

In particular, Justin Fields can learn a lot from watching these two. Patrick Mahomes came into the NFL and had success right away in terms of both stats and wins. Justin Herbert, however, has the stats to back up how good he is but the wins haven’t been there in bunches as a result.

Fields can learn from both of them because of this. From Mahomes, he always finds a way to win a football game no matter how he does it. There are times when he needs to look like a superstar and there are times when he just needs to be smart.

From Herbert, there were a few things to take away. For one, he knows how to play well despite his team around him needing to improve. That is something that Justin Fields is going to have to deal with.

Secondly, Herbert was also injured during this game but he didn’t come out. Obviously, he is tough enough to stick it out as he was desperately needed. Fields can learn how to deal with some issues to be there for his teammates.

No elite quarterback in the league right now feels amazing all the time. You just have to battle through. That ability was on full display for both of them in this game but especially Herbert late.

It should also be noted that neither team got off to a great start in the football game. That is something that is going to happen to the Bears’ offense from time to time. How both quarterbacks dealt with it in this game is something that Fields can take away.

Not only can Fields learn from that, but the coaches and rest of the players also can. This is a very hard league to play in and you have to learn how to deal with the ups and downs that you face.

This was a great game that the Kansas City Chiefs barely pulled out in the end. We can only hope that these two continue to put on tremendous battles for years to come.

It would be nice to see the Chicago Bears eventually get on this level because it is amazing to watch. There is a lot to learn from them.

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2022 has been an incredibly hard year for the Chicago White Sox. They came in with World Series expectations but it just hasn’t gone their way for most of the year. There have been injuries, bad play from certain players, and horrid managing all year long.

With that in mind, the White Sox are not dead yet. However, it wasn’t more than a few days ago that they looked like they were done. The 2022 White Sox always finds a way to pull people back into thinking they have a chance right after it looks over.

A few weeks ago, they were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks and it looked like they were so done. The 2023 MLB Draft looked more enticing than the 2022 postseason. Then, Tony La Russa left with a medical issue and they went on a run with Miguel Cairo.

Despite going 5-2 on a seven-game road trip, the team they trail in the Cleveland Guardians also stayed hot. Because of a few games in hand, they even gained some ground on the White Sox during that hot streak. It started to make the season feel all but finished.

The Chicago White Sox keep finding ways to make it seem like they have a chance.

Things got even worse when the White Sox were defeated on Wednesday by the lowly Colorado Rockies. Games like that happen but the circumstances made it feel much worse. With the Guardians getting a win on the same day, the deficit in the division became 4.0 games.

Once again, the White Sox seemed to be dead. However, the Sox and Guardians had a makeup game on Thursday. Lance Lynn pitched well and the offense showed up to get the White Sox a big win. The deficit is back down to 3.0 games and they have 3 more with the Guardians next week.

That series is going to be extremely important but they have to go through this weekend series with the very bad Detroit Tigers. Honestly, getting a three-game sweep over them is something that should be considered a must.

It is important for the White Sox to keep winning but it would also be nice to see them get some help from the opponents of the Cleveland Guardians. That hasn’t really happened over the last week or so but there is no better time for it to start happening than now.

The point of this all is that the White Sox just won’t die in 2022. They keep reeling people back in every single time that they appear to have no chance. It is good because they aren’t giving up but it would be nice to see them finally get in first place and stay there.

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The NBA’s two biggest offseason questions — the futures of Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell — have been answered.

But while the Brooklyn Nets seem on track to run it back with their current core intact, the drama at Barclays Center is far from over.

Will the Durant-Nets partnership survive the rest of the season after such a public airing of grievances this summer? Will Ben Simmons, who still has yet to debut for his new team since being traded to Brooklyn before the February trade deadline, make an immediate impact?

The Nets, just like last season, will surely keep making headlines. So will the Los Angeles Lakers, who welcome a new fiery point guard into the mix. Can Russell Westbrook, buried in trade rumors all summer, now coexist with Patrick Beverley in the same backcourt?

Our NBA Insiders are examining the questions they want to see answered throughout training camp and the start of the 2022-23 season, including what lies ahead for the defending champions’ youngsters, key players returning from injury for the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls and MVP contenders who played big minutes at EuroBasket.

KD? Kyrie? Simmons? Will all be well in Brooklyn?

Where it stands:

Kevin Durant: Rescinded his trade request on Aug. 24.

Kyrie Irving: Opted into the fourth year of his contract on June 27.

Ben Simmons: Has not played since the 76ers’ Game 7 loss in the 2021 East semifinals.

Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the Nets have a few questions hovering over them heading into the season.

Durant remains in the fold — for now — and Brooklyn is confident its offseason drama can give way to winning basketball. The organization has revolved around Durant since the moment he signed three years ago, but it’s unclear whether the relationship will survive the entirety of the season, let alone the four years remaining on his deal.

We have heard next to nothing this summer about Simmons, who will have been out for 16 months when the Nets begin their season in Brooklyn against the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 19.

The Nets announced in May that Simmons had successful microdiscectomy surgery, shortly after the Nets’ suffered a first-round sweep against the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. Brooklyn expects Simmons to “make a full recovery prior to the start of training camp.”

More so than just about any NBA team, the Nets are defined by a series of ifs. But if Durant, Irving and Simmons are all available and on the court this season at Barclays Center, the Nets are capable of becoming the title contender they were projected to be in 2021-22.

2 Related

Simmons is, in theory, the perfect player to play alongside Durant and Irving. Simmons is a 3-point shot generating force who, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, has assisted on 996 3-pointers in his career, the second most in the NBA from 2017-18 to 2020-21, trailing Russell Westbrook.

A lineup of Simmons, Durant, Irving, Joe Harris and Seth Curry, while light defensively, could be a devastating offensive unit if Simmons is out there creating open looks. Per Second Spectrum tracking, 371 players have attempted 150 wide-open 3s over the last five seasons. Harris, Curry and Durant all rank in the top four on such attempts.

— Tim Bontemps and Nick Friedell

What’s next for Russ, Pat Bev and the Lakers?

Where it stands:

Last year’s woes: In his debut season with the Lakers, Russell Westbrook had his worst offensive season since 2010.

Adding Pat Bev: The Lakers traded for Patrick Beverley on July 6 to share time with Westbrook at point guard.

New agent: Westbrook fired his longtime agent Thad Foucher of Wasserman over “irreconcilable differences” on July 15.

The Lakers may be headed for an awkward first day of training camp. There’s clear history between Westbrook and offseason trade acquisition Beverley, even though Westbrook’s attendance and towel assist at Beverley’s introductory news conference suggests both guards are ready to squash any past beef.

After hearing his name in trade rumors all summer, it doesn’t look like Westbrook will be going anywhere, judging by LeBron James tweeting that he “can’t wait for him to go off this season!!” and comments from new coach Darvin Ham expressing support for the 33-year-old guard.

Assuming a trade doesn’t materialize, it’s up to Ham and his staff to revive the superstar trio of Westbrook, James and Anthony Davis after it failed to mesh during last season’s 11th-place finish in the Western Conference. (Ham is also tasked with maximizing Westbrook when the ball is in James’ hands.)

LeBron’s tweet aside, how will the dynamic between him and Westbrook evolve? (Remember that awkward summer league moment when the two sat on opposite ends of the court?)

This type of atmosphere is nothing new for Westbrook, who throughout his career has been fueled with motivation from perceived slights or criticism. Trade rumblings have, for now, been replaced by chatter suggesting he and Beverley can’t coexist in the Lakers’ backcourt.

— Ohm Youngmisuk

Lonzo Ball and Khris Middleton injuries: Where does each stand in their recovery?

Where it stands:

Ball: Suffered a knee injury on Jan. 14 — not expected to return for the start of the season.

Middleton: Suffered a knee injury on April 20 and underwent wrist surgery in early July — expected to return around the start of the season.

Wednesday, Oct. 19

Knicks vs. Grizzlies, 7:30 p.m.Mavericks vs Suns, 10 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 21

Celtics vs. Heat, 7:30 p.m.Nuggets vs Warriors, 10 p.m.

*All times Eastern

Both the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks avoided making major changes this offseason, each believing their full, healthy rosters can compete in the East.

If Middleton had not slipped on a drive to the basket during their first-round series against the Bulls — resulting in a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee that forced him to miss their final 10 playoff games — Milwaukee believes it would have been on its way to another NBA Finals.

Middleton, who also underwent offseason surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist, is expected to be ready near the start of the regular season. The Bucks are known for their cautious approach toward injuries, so expect Milwaukee to prioritize Middleton getting healthy for the stretch run and playoffs, even if that means tackling the beginning of 2022-23 without its All-Star.

The Bulls’ season, meanwhile, took a turn for the worse much earlier than their division rivals.

On Jan. 14, Chicago was 27-13 and the top seed in the East before Lonzo Ball’s left knee injury. It sputtered to a 19-23 finish and five-game first-round defeat without him. Ball had arthroscopic surgery in January, but each attempt to ramp him up for game action near the end of the season resulted in a setback.

As recently as during the summer league, Bulls Vice President Arturas Karnisovas acknowledged Ball’s health is improving but “probably not at the speed we would like” and the team is doubtful he’ll be ready for the start of the season. The organization has remained vague about Ball’s status and how long his knee issues will linger.

— Jamal Collier

Are the Warriors’ youngsters ready to step up?

Where it stands:

Jonathan Kuminga: Showed flashes of adapting to Warriors’ system late in his rookie season; averaged 16.9 minutes per game in 2021-22.

Moses Moody: Led the Warriors in scoring during summer league in Las Vegas (16.3 points per game).

James Wiseman: Suffered a knee injury in April 2021 and missed all of last season.

Last season, the Warriors enjoyed the perk of slowly bringing along their younger players during their run to the NBA title.

Kuminga and Moody were given small and sporadic opportunities as rookies, filling in for injured players throughout the season and even getting some chances to start. Golden State’s depth let second-year player Wiseman take his time recovering from a meniscus injury in his right knee that ended up forcing him to miss the entire 2021-22 season.

The champs no longer have that luxury.

The departures of Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr., Juan Toscano-Anderson, Nemanja Bjelica and Damion Lee will undoubtedly force Golden State’s three youngsters to assume expanded roles.

The Warriors want to see Kuminga use his athleticism to his advantage, most notably his skills as a slasher and finisher. Toward the end of last season, he flashed an ability to draw contact and get to the free-throw line, evidenced by a 10-for-12 showing at the stripe in a blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers in late February and a 7-for-10 effort against the Memphis Grizzlies in late March.

Golden State envisions Moody as a strong 3-and-D floor-spacer who can utilize his 7-foot-1 wingspan on the defensive end. As a rookie, Moody shot 36.4% from deep on over two attempts per game.

What exactly Wiseman can do is still a question mark. He lacks the sample size of his younger teammates, but Wiseman did have a solid summer league and offered glimpses of how the Warriors want to use him: as a prototypical rim protector who alters shots and grabs rebounds. On offense, he’ll mostly live near the rim, but the team won’t discourage him from letting it fly from beyond the arc on open attempts.

— Kendra Andrews

How will EuroBasket impact Giannis, Luka and The Joker? Should teams be worried about wear and tear?

Where it stands:

Giannis Antetokounmpo: Played 108 total minutes in four games for Greece.

Luka Doncic: Played 164 total minutes in five games for Slovenia.

Nikola Jokic: Played 124 total minutes in five games for Serbia.

More than two dozen NBA players represented their countries in the latest installment of EuroBasket — FIBA’s European continental championship — including three members of last year’s All-NBA First Team: Antetokounmpo, Doncic and Jokic — all of whose teams were eliminated before the semifinals.

The extra mileage on star players heading into the season could be a concern, particularly with this year’s addition of qualifying games for next summer’s World Cup as part of the lead-up to EuroBasket. But the track record of these stars suggests it hasn’t been an issue in the past.

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Jokic last represented Serbia in the summer during the 2019 World Cup. He returned to play all 73 of the Denver Nuggets‘ games in 2019-20, which culminated in a run to the Western Conference finals during the bubble. After Denver was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, Jokic has gotten an extended break following back-to-back MVP wins.

The last time EuroBasket was played in 2017, Doncic helped establish his NBA potential by leading Slovenia to the gold alongside MVP Goran Dragic. He subsequently became the youngest EuroLeague MVP ever. Because Slovenia did not qualify for the last World Cup, Doncic next took the court for his country in last summer’s Olympics. Although enough time passed after that competition for Doncic to enter training camp heavier than his normal playing weight — which shouldn’t be the case this time around — he showed plenty of stamina taking the Dallas Mavericks to this year’s West finals.

Giannis missed the last EuroBasket due to a knee injury, but played in the 2019 World Cup. He returned from that competition to win a second consecutive MVP, averaging a career-high 29.5 PPG in 2019-20 (since surpassed last season). Giannis too enjoyed a longer-than-usual summer after the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated in the second round despite his heroics.

— Kevin Pelton

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The Chicago Cubs were off on Thursday. This was a well-deserved off day that came after a sweep of the New York Mets on the road. It is one of the more impressive series wins that the Cubs have had all year long as they swept one of the best teams in the league.

It is obvious that the Cubs are not a very good team otherwise nobody would be surprised that they swept a team in September. However, it is also a sign of a team that is playing well despite having nothing to play for in terms of the standings.

The Mets were the second to last team that the Cubs will face this season with a record over .500. That is why they have a path to a really strong finish here in 2022. They are mostly playing against teams that are equal to them based on records.

With that in mind, most of these teams don’t have the recent success over the last few games to feel good about themselves like the Cubs do. It could be a time when the Cubs continue to play well and finish the year very strong.

The Chicago Cubs have an easy schedule to end this crazy 2022 season.

It starts this weekend with a series at Wrigley Field against the Colorado Rockies. They will play against that 62-81 team for three games. Following that, they are going to hit the road for a couple of series.

It will start down south when they face the 59-85 Miami Marlins. It is three games against them before four games against the very lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. Those all could end up being some fun games for the Cubs at this point in the year.

Then, following another off day, the Cubs will have a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. They are 80-63 which makes them the last team over .500 that the Cubs will face this season. Of course, based on the Cubs’ success against the Mets, you can’t count them out of that series either.

Following that tough series, the Cubs have six straight games (three at home and three on the road) against the Cincinnati Reds who are 57-86. You would think that the Cubs have a good chance in a lot of these games as of right now.

Now, it is fair to look at the Cubs’ record of 61-82 which is right around all of these teams. They are one of the worst teams in the league. Regardless, it is possible that the Cubs keep their hot play from the Mets series going against these bad teams.

There are a lot of reasons to believe in the Cubs against the bad teams. We have seen some good pitching lately along with some good play from guys like Seiya Suzuki, Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, and Willson Contreras amongst others.

The future is uncertain but finishing this season strong would certainly help them. The offseason following a year like this is certainly going to be interesting.

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